Jan. 21 (UPI) — Former U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio was sworn in as secretary of State on Tuesday morning and pledged to improve the department and make the country and world better over the next four years.
Rubio was sworn by Vice President JD Vance in at 9:15 a.m. EST and briefly addressed State Department staff Tuesday afternoon.
“It’s an honor to serve in this role,” Rubio said. “Today is my first day on the job, but I am no stranger to it.”
Rubio thanked those who serve overseas and domestically and said he wants the State Department to be “at the core of how we formulate foreign policy.”
“This is the face of the United States,” Rubio said. “For most people [abroad], their only interaction with the United States is the men and women who serve abroad.”
He said the State Department will have one central mission while he is in charge, which is to “advance our national interest” while making the country safer and stronger.
The State Department also will be integral to the promotion of global peace, he said.
“Without peace, it’s impossible to be a strong nation,” Rubio said. “There will be conflicts, but we will seek to prevent them.”
When President Donald Trump needs advice and information regarding foreign policy, Rubio said the Department of State will be ready to provide it.
“Sometimes, in foreign relations, our options are two bad ones, and we are trying to find out which is least bad,” he said.
“I want the Department of State to have the best options and best ideas for the president,” Rubio said. “We want to be at the core of how we formulate foreign policy.”
He said the State Department will strive to be the best the nation ever has had and will make changes to make the department a “21st century agency.”
“Things are moving faster than ever,” Rubio said. “We’re going to execute better, faster” and ensure the “country and planet is safer and better” as a result.
That will be our mission, and I hope we will do it together,” he told State Department staff.
Rubio is the son of Cuban-American refugees and the first Hispanic to be Secretary of State after the Senate voted 99-0 to confirm his nomination on Monday.
“It’s an incredible honor to be the secretary of state of the most power, best country in the world,” Rubio told media and attendees during his swearing in ceremony Tuesday morning.
President Trump wants Rubio and the State Department to make the United States the department’s priority in foreign policy while furthering the country’s national interest.
“We will work hard every day to help him achieve the agenda that the American people have given him to achieve,” Rubio said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis previously announced state Attorney General Ashley Moody will replace Rubio as Florida’s second U.S. senator.
She will become the state’s junior senator, with Sen. Rick Scott becoming its senior senator in Congress.